Tribal terrorists kill 17 people in Tripura's long night of terror

Underground tribal terrorists raided a village in west Tripura late on Tuesday night killing 17 non-tribals, including women and children and injuring 20 others in brutal ethnic violence.

A senior police officer told United News of India that the armed militants raided Jharul-Bachai village which is dominated by non-tribals and set ablaze 40 houses forcing the residents to come out in the open. The terrorists then open fire in the darkness, killing 15 people on the spot. Two others died on the way to hospital.

Senior police officers, with heavy reinforcements including the Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force and Tripura Rifles, have rushed to the site of the massacre and launched a search for the killers.

A large number of panic-stricken people have fled the village.

Union Home Minister Inderjit Gupta is currently in Agartala, the state capital, to review the law and order situation.

An indefinite curfew, clamped on Monday in Khowai area of west Tripura district following ethnic violence, was relaxed for seven hours on Wednesday.

Official sources said the Assam Rifles, the CRPF and the Tripura Rifles were patrolling the trouble-torn areas.

District Magistrate Sushil Kumar, Superintendent of Police Dilipjit Debbarma, senior police and civil officers, besides army and Assam Rifles officers were camping in the area to supervise relief and security measures.

At least two people, including a woman, were killed and more than 80 houses burnt in the ethnic violence on Sunday night.

Tuesday's incident was the worst militant attack this year. On December 13 26 non-tribals were gunned down by tribal terrorists at Kalyanpur in the same west Tripura district.

The prime minister's call to all insurgent outfits in the North-East to negotiate a solution to the festering disputes in the region has failed to evoke any response as various extremist groups are reportedly regrouping themselves.

Home Minister Gupta told reporters in Agartala that the government has requested Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar to stop all assistance to the North-East militants.

"Their response is very positive. Bangladesh has already assured India that its soil will not be allowed to be used by anti-India groups," Gupta said.

The Centre, he said, was ready to discuss any issue with any insurgent group under the constitutional framework, but violence need to be halted first.

The vigil along the Indo-Bangla international border, he added, would be intensified by deploying more Border Security Force troops to check the transborder movement of the militants, border crimes and infiltration. Work on the border fencing would start soon.

The home minister said the Disturbed Areas Act would not be imposed in Tripura though the army has been pressing for it. The Union home ministry is now considering banning some of the militant outfits in Tripura.

Gupta, who had a series of meetings with the governor, the chief minister, his cabinet colleagues, security and paramilitary officials, said his ministry would sanction funds for the modernisation of Tripura's security forces and would provide anti-insurgency training to curb militancy.in the state.

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